The control of semiactive shock absorbers with the aid of the skyhook method is known from the state of the art. In the skyhook method, a desired damping is computed which is proportional to the velocity of the bodywork of the vehicle. From the desired damping force and the determined shock absorber speed, the damping force is converted into a desired current with the aid of an inverse shock absorber characteristic field when the sign of the shock absorber speed and desired damping force are the same. In contrast, for different signs of the desired damping force and the shock absorber speed, a desired damping force is requested which corresponds to the smallest possible adjustable damping force. In the standard skyhook method, the transition from a high damping force to a low damping force and vice versa is abrupt. Noticeable unwanted noises develop because of high force gradients in the shock absorber movement and these noises are very unpleasant for the passengers of the vehicle and therefore considerably affect the driving comfort. Especially those shift operations cause hammer-like noises for which shifting takes place at a shock absorber speed unequal to zero (see FIG. 2).
German patent publication 4,240,614 shows that the shock absorber speed or the relative speed between bodywork of the vehicle and the particular wheel and the vehicle longitudinal speed are known. From this publication, it is more or less known that the shock absorber speed as well as the vehicle longitudinal speed can be applied as a criterion for influencing a change in the force of the shock absorber. For this purpose, the time-dependent change of the forces, which are developed between the vehicle bodywork and the wheel, are limited. Especially, it is intended that high-frequency peaks of the force change be suppressed. The hammer-like noises, which occur in accordance with the standard skyhook method, are, however, not eliminated by the method described in German patent publication 4,240,614.